Once a pharmacy business was family owned and inherited. To squeeze in as a new entrant into this market niche was practically impossible. But now is a different time, and everyone can open their own business in any industry. As for the sale of medicines, this business has always been, is and will be one of the most profitable, along with the sale of tobacco products and alcohol. Why is this happening? It's simple: people continue to get sick throughout their lives, and therefore they need medicines.
In any case, a pharmacy will generate income, because this area is free from the influence of the country's economic situation, politics and other factors. It would seem that there are a lot of such establishments; it is quite difficult to withstand competition. Indeed, the modern market is represented by a large number of outlets selling medicines. But if you competently approach the creation of your own business, you can quickly become a part of the pharmaceutical business. So how to open a pharmacy? We'll figure out.
Classification
To begin with, it is worth deciding on the type of institution engaged in the sale of pharmaceutical products. The steps that need to be taken in the future depend on this. The classification of pharmacies is as follows:
- Online pharmacy. Needless to say, the Global Network is firmly entrenched in our lives. People now order everything online: from clothing to food. Recently added the ability to purchase drugs online on some sites. Large pharmacies, which have occupied their niche in the market, offer consumers to purchase goods via the Internet, and this is a very advantageous offer for both parties.
- Round the clock. This type of pharmacy is not always cost-effective, a lot depends on the location of the institution. How to open a pharmacy that works around the clock? The algorithm is the same, but staff costs, security services, etc. will be added.
- Children’s. A deliberate limitation of one's activities has both advantages and disadvantages. Of course, you can attract a large number of buyers if you open a pharmacy near a kindergarten or clinic. On the other hand, the list of consumers is limited. You can start with a children's pharmacy and gradually develop in this area.
Franchise
Before starting a business, a novice entrepreneur needs to decide how he will work: independently or under a franchise. Each of the methods has its pros and cons. People who do not understand anything in pharmaceuticals are advised to open a franchise pharmacy.
A businessman is given the opportunity to use technology, knowledge, and the popularity of the brand for a fee. You need to deposit the amount at a time, and then send a certain percentage of the profit monthly to the parent company. All the nuances are discussed, it is better to carefully study them before agreeing to the proposal.
Most appreciated in franchising is the fact that the company provides a ready-made business model. This means that there is a selected range, organized delivery of products at special prices from trusted suppliers. It may take years to set up your own model, so this advantage is the most important.
Now, in detail about how to open a pharmacy from scratch on your own.
Where to begin?
Once you have chosen the type of institution and the way of doing business, it's time to start active action. First you need to register as an entrepreneur. There is one very important point here. Many are interested in: is it possible and how to open a pharmacy from scratch without a pharmaceutical education? Everything is very simple, it is necessary to create a joint-stock company (joint-stock company) or a closed joint-stock company (closed joint-stock company). In other cases, you can register as an IP.
Then you should choose the type of institution: it can be a production pharmacy, a point of finished medicine, a kiosk or a store. If you are going to make medicines, the first option is suitable, for the sale of drugs - all the others. If we talk about profitability, the most profitable is a regular pharmacy. Here you can sell prescription drugs, and it is a good platform for expanding your business in the future. Now you know that it is possible to open a pharmacy from scratch without a pharmaceutical education, the main thing is the right approach.
Package of documents
It is believed that starting a business in this area is very difficult. It is not only about the high level of competition, the difficulty of entry, etc. To open a pharmacy (without education or with it - it does not matter), you need to collect a huge amount of documents. But if you are a pharmacist or pharmacist, red tape with official papers also has a place to be. The "Regulation on the licensing of pharmacological activities" dated December 22, 2011 contains a list of necessary documents.
There are a lot of them, so we will consider this issue briefly. What you need to open a pharmacy. Firstly, coordination with the sanitary-epidemiological service, you should also get permission to use a certain room, after which you will be issued a sanitary passport. Secondly, the fire service should give a positive answer. Thirdly, obtaining a license to trade in retail drugs. This is not the whole list, but without these permits you can forget about business in this area. According to the most conservative estimates, an entrepreneur will need at least two months to collect all official papers.
Pharmacy format
It would seem that you have already chosen the type of institution, what else is needed? A pharmacy format is a prerequisite for starting a business. Today, there are two models: discounter and premium institution. The first option is an average institution open in a residential area. The second is an expensive pharmacy located in the city center that sells rare products.
There are two forms of trade: closed and open. Many pharmacies are now combining these options, putting drugs on the counter, and near-medicine drugs on the trading floor. According to experts, the format of a pharmacy supermarket is very popular and brings a lot more profit. But you need to take into account the fact that the costs of this institution will be impressive. The emphasis should be on installing an alarm and hiring a security guard. This option is especially relevant for a supermarket that sells medicines. Our article is written as a step-by-step instruction on how to open a pharmacy. This will greatly help a novice entrepreneur in creating a business plan. So, we go on points.
Search for premises
We will consider the option of opening a discounter, a regular pharmacy in a residential area of the city. For these purposes, you will need a room of at least 80 square meters. The area should be zoned in a certain way for convenience. Most of the premises should be occupied by a trading floor. People like to walk around, take a closer look, so you need to give freedom to customers. Approximately 15-20 square meters should be allocated to administrative rooms. The utility room, which is a mini-warehouse, is a prerequisite.
The premises under the pharmacy are subject to the most stringent requirements. Firstly, there should be a connection to electricity and water supply, ventilation and all other systems. Secondly, each room and room should represent an isolated unit. Thirdly, the place of storage of drugs must be equipped with air control sensors. In addition, in all rooms and rooms it is necessary to install a fire, light, sound and security alarm.
When carrying out repairs, remember to regularly wet clean and disinfect. After conducting simple calculations, we can conclude that it will take a lot of money to open a pharmacy from scratch. How to find them? Currently, there are a large number of investors who are ready to invest in an idea; you just need to present it correctly.
Location selection
It is worth noting that the good location of the institution determines good trade. The room should be sought in areas where there is a lot of traffic, that is, the number of people passing near a certain place per unit of time. It is easy to guess that the higher the flow, the better the location. A good indicator is the passage of 200-300 people per hour. Such traffic is detected near shopping centers, metro stations. In general, it depends on the city. In small towns, it is recommended to open an institution at public transport stops or close to medical facilities.
The sleeping area is also considered a good location. Here you need to calculate the number of people living in the radius of half a kilometer, and then think about the feasibility of starting a business. In the capital and large cities, this area is highly developed, it will be difficult for a novice entrepreneur to deal with market giants. Therefore, it is worth considering how to open a pharmacy in remote areas of the country.
Interior decoration
Many people do not attach importance to this point, and are mistaken. The combination of impressions - sound, light and color - that sets a person up for a certain wave should not be underestimated when you think about how to open a pharmacy? In a step-by-step instruction for organizing a business, the interior occupies a special place. People come to this type of institution, as a rule, in order to purchase medicines to eliminate health problems. But this does not mean at all that the interior does not need to be given attention.
The task of the entrepreneur is to create comfortable conditions for both staff and customers. Favorable atmosphere and helpful staff can push a person to make more acquisitions and then force them to return to the pharmacy. Soft light, pleasant tone of the walls, the presence of furniture for customers, comfortable temperature - all this has a certain impact on the visitor.
If you doubt your design abilities, hire professionals who will cope with this task once or twice. Custom-made furniture will give the room a special effect. Of course, here, too, you need to consider the opportunity in terms of finance. After all, hiring interior designers is an expensive pleasure.
How to open a pharmacy with minimal investment? It is necessary to do all the work yourself. In principle, you can create a favorable environment on your own, the main thing is to choose the right colors. For a pharmacy, the following color combinations are an excellent option: blue and white, green and white, yellow and blue-green. Do not forget about tables and chairs or chairs. The client may need to sit down, so having special furniture is a huge plus.
Recruitment
The legislation regulates the issue of personnel at a pharmacy very strictly. A number of requirements have been presented to employees, so an entrepreneur needs to take this quite seriously. We have already talked about how to open a pharmacy with a pharmaceutical education. It is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur - and go. At the stage of recruiting employees can not do without a person with such knowledge. Only a qualified pharmacist or pharmacist can recruit a close-knit team of professionals. If you do not have such an education, you need to hire another person who will be engaged in the selection of personnel.
According to the law, pharmacy employees must have a specialist certificate. Higher or secondary special education is also required. The staff of the institution is formed by forecasting the amount of work:
- Director and his deputy;
- a prescription that is responsible for prescription drugs;
- a clerk who sells over-the-counter medicines;
- defectar, which is responsible for monitoring the stockpiles of medicines, as well as monitoring storage.
In small institutions, one person performs several functions at once. This is done to reduce staff. How to open a pharmacy without a pharmaceutical education? At the recruitment stage, it is better to hire a person who is a professional in this field.
Necessary equipment
The pharmacy should have high-quality inventory. To equip the institution with all the rules, you will need to purchase a cash register, display cases, racks, lockers, safes, refrigerators, furniture and computer equipment. The latter is extremely important, because with the help of software optimization you can achieve success in the speed of customer service. In addition, computers will allow you to monitor deliveries, apply discount programs, etc.
As for the assortment, it needs to be constantly expanded. Let you have both foreign quality medicines and their domestic counterparts. Near-medical products also sell well, so you can introduce them. A person can engage in this business without a pharmaceutical education. How to open a pharmacy and attract customers? Now let's talk about it.
Advertising and promotion
There are two main types of advertising: paid and free. You must understand that investing in promoting an institution is simply necessary. The most effective way to attract customers is to create a website. On it you can not only present information about the product, but also come up with interesting content.
If possible, it is necessary to attract all communication channels, to cover the entire potential sales market. Only in this way can you draw attention to your brainchild. It is not enough to know how to open a pharmacy from scratch, you need to correctly present it to the people. To do this, use all the features and create a really high-quality institution.
Financial component
So, we got to the most important question: how much money should be invested? The pharmacy business is considered one of the most expensive, and this is understandable. Be prepared to invest a tidy amount, otherwise it makes no sense to open an institution. In general, it will be necessary to spend about 2-2.5 million rubles. Let’s try to list everything by points:
- renting a room will cost 300 thousand rubles;
- equipment will have to be purchased for 500 thousand rubles;
- production - 900 thousand rubles;
- repair of the premises, installation of the necessary alarm and other small expenses will amount to 200 thousand rubles;
- advertising and promotion - 100 thousand rubles.
Based on such information, we can say that everyone can open a pharmacy. Without pharmaceutical education, this is also possible, the main thing is the financial issue. It is impossible not to say about profit. A small institution brings income of about 100 thousand rubles a month minus all costs. In the summer, the profit will be about 80 thousand rubles. The business is quick-paying, in just one, maximum two years, you will return all investments and will work completely on income. Due to its stability, the pharmacy business looks especially attractive.
In fact, to establish such an institution is not quite simple, you need to rely on something in your work. It is recommended to draw up a clear detailed business plan and navigate it. Now you know how to open a pharmacy. In business, it is important to show character, a "spineless" entrepreneur is rapidly losing ground. Regardless of the field of activity, create a quality product, in which case the return will be effective.